ProductsStyleVisionXSLT for HTML

Altova StyleVision® 2008 simplifies the creation of XSLT 1.0 / 2.0 stylesheets for transforming XML and database data to attractive HTML Web pages.

One of the most prevalent uses for XSLT stylesheets is for presenting data from XML documents and databases on Web pages. The unique StyleVision design interface allows you to visually design stylesheets to produce HTML output from XML or a database quickly and easily. In addition, that same design simultaneously produces an Authentic form, as well as RTF, PDF, and Word 2007 (OOXML) output and the associated stylesheets.

StyleVision autogenerates standards-conformant XSLT 1.0 stylesheets with XPath 1.0 expressions. It also includes complete implementations of the powerful new XSLT 2.0 and XPath 2.0 specifications from the W3C. These new versions include significant improvements and new features that improve code stability and reusability, as well as an impressive array of new functions and operators. In addition, XSLT 2.0 support in StyleVision is schema-aware. Schema-awareness provides additional mechanisms for error isolation, simplified debugging, and enhanced code performance. In all, XSLT 2.0 and XPath 2.0 allow you create stylesheets that are much more powerful and highly efficient.

To read more about the benefits of choosing XSLT 2.0 for your stylesheets, check out the XSLT 2.0 page in the Developer Portal.

In StyleVision, you can select whether you wish to use XSLT 1.0 or XSLT 2.0 for individual designs. Depending on your selection, the appropriate functionality will automatically be made available in the design interface, and transformations will be made with the corresponding XSLT processor (XSLT 1.0 or XSLT 2.0).

Visual XSLT Design

The unique StyleVision approach to stylesheet design makes creating presentation stylesheets easier and faster than ever before. The intuitive visual design process means you don’t need prior XSLT, XPath, or template coding experience to design stylesheets in StyleVision.

To begin creating a stylesheet, simply open an existing XML Schema, XML instance, DTD, or database in StyleVision, and the content model will appear in the Schema Sources entry helper. You can even connect to multiple XML and database schemas to incorporate data from multiple sources – such as an XML file and a database – in your design. When you select an element or attribute that you wish to see in your output and drag it from the Schema Sources window onto the design pane, StyleVision prompts you to specify how you would like the new node to be handled (for example, as a new paragraph, image, table, etc.). This information will be rendered dynamically based on the data in your source(s). You can also insert static content such as header text, images, hyperlinks, and so on.

To add layout and styling information to your design, the StyleVision interface provides five advanced entry helper windows for viewing, editing, and assigning the style and layout properties of each element in your design. Learn more about this functionality on the Stylesheet Design page.

CSS and JavaScript

StyleVision supports advanced functionality for building Web pages, including CSS styles and JavaScript functions. You can add precise visual styling rules to your designs using built-in CSS styles, and you can import your own CSS documents to leverage work you’ve already completed. StyleVision includes a JavaScript editor for defining JavaScript functions, and each JavaScript function that you define is listed under Scripts in the Design Tree window. You can assign functions to design components via the Event tab in the Properties window to add event-based interactivity to your Web page. Learn more about building advanced Web pages using CSS and JavaScript in StyleVision.

Advanced stylesheet functions

Stylesheets designed in StyleVision support advanced functionality such as conditional templates, auto-calculations, business logic validation, and much more. Read more about advanced stylesheet functions.

True single source publishing

The StyleVision visual, drag-and-drop design approach allows you to create standards-conformant XSLT 1.0/2.0 stylesheets and rich HTML output in minutes – a process that can take hours when performed manually. As you’re creating your design, the resulting XSLT 1.0 or 2.0 stylesheet is autogenerated along with the HTML output, both which can be viewed by clicking on the Preview HTML tab in the design window.

In addition to the XSLT stylesheet for HTML and the associated output, StyleVision also simultaneously generates RTF, PDF, and Word 2007 (OOXML) output, plus the associated stylesheets, and an Authentic e-Form. These stylesheets and output files are all generated based on the single design you create, and you can save the standards-conformant stylesheets and output files separately at any time.

The ability to produce all of these stylesheets and output formats based on a single design makes StyleVision® 2008 the perfect tool for publishing your XML and database data in multiple media formats quickly and easily. Download a free 30-day trial of StyleVision.